Honor Bound
by Trurotaketwo
Summary: The Stars Division is in a tight spot. Shinjiro knows that he is the one responsible. On his honor as a Samurai, he will do right be his team, his friends and the woman he loves. Even if it means throwing his dignity as a man to the wind...
1. Chapter 1

Honour Bound

by Trurotaketwo

Shinjiro knew this was coming. But even prior foresight didn't ease the daunting feeling of his team's accusing eyes.

"Thanks to your recklessness, we've lost Gemini, just when we need her the most." said Ratchet in a voice devoid of her usual warmth and emotion. "There's no one to blame but you, Shinjiro."

Shinjiro didn't dare to took at the others faces but he could feel them glaring daggers at him. Those daggers cut a more painful wound than any injury he had ever received in battle. What hurt the most, was that every harsh word of what Ratchet said was true. He was fully aware of what he had done and the rest of the New York Combat Revue had every reason to be angry at him.

Shinjiro's head had been lowered in shame for a while. At last, he steeled himself, raised his head up and met with Ratchet's icy stare.

"I understand what I've done, Ratchet I'm prepared to face the consequences."

Then he stood up, straightened his back and said with all the dignity he could muster-

"I'll play Peppermint in the show while Gemini's on maternity leave."

The others' icy glares faded to looks of relieved satisfaction.

"That's good." said Ratchet, finally smiling "It's such a hassle having to recast at the last minute."

Mr Sunnyside then stood up, having been quiet throughout the damage control meeting.

"And now that my lovely assistant has finished chewing you out, Shin-Sham, we can get onto congratulating you and your Mrs!"

The others gathered around, giving their blushing captain hugs, handshakes and pats on the back.

"You weren't in a hurry to say anything earlier." Ratchet observed. Sunnyside smugly adjusted his spectacles.

"That because, frankly, my dear, you're just so much better at playing the Bad Cop."

Ratchet proceeded to further cement her position as the deepest sigher in New York. She shook her head and put a loving, somewhat sisterly hand on Shinjiro's shoulder.

"Congratulations to both you and Gemini, Shin. I have no doubt that you will be excellent parents."

Ratchet would know about parenting. Many had come the time when Shinjiro would hear her bemoan to Sunnyside; "Why are they always MY staff when they mess up?"

When everyone was finished gushing, they went to the auditorium to begin the rehearsal. The songs' lyrics were easy enough to remember, but it was a very active dance routine. Many jumps and twirls were involved, so they couldn't knowingly allow a pregnant woman to perform it. Having helped Gemini to rehearse, Shin was of course the only one who could fill her role at the last minute.

When rehearsal was finished, everybody was given a couple of hours free time before opening that night. Ratchet came to see Shin before he left.

"By the way, Shin, are you bringing Gemini to watch the show tonight?" she asked.

"Well, maybe, if she's up for it."

"Give me a call and let me know before six thirty. We're thinking about having a baby shower after the show."

"Wow, that's really nice of you all! Sure I'll see if she's up for it!"

he picked up the plastic bag which contained his costume.

"By the way, I'll going to drop my costume off at the dry-cleaners on the way home. Would you like me to take yours, while I'm at it?"

"No, it's fine. Cheiron took them to the one just bellow her office, this morning. You just go home to your cute wife!"

This was of course an instruction that Shinjiro had no objections to complying with. Once his costume was safely in the capable hands of the dry-cleaners, he made his way home. As his hand pulled on the door handle, he contemplated what he should say to his wife. There was something she was expecting him to say, but in his head it sounded so cliché and embarrassing. But on the other hand, it was just the two of them in the house. Nobody else would be around to criticize. So he marshalled his courage opened the door and said;

"Honey, I'm home!"

He could hear Gemini giggling in the kitchen. At least it was just her laughing and she hadn't brought any guests around to laugh at him. She came out to meet him and folded him into her arms.

"I've always wanted to hear you say that!" she laughed as she kissed him. Shinjiro had always known Gemini to be an otaku who loved it when real life paralleled television. Such as that time she went to wake him up and he asked for five more minutes. This gave her the chance to fulfil her childhood dream of waking someone up by pulling their blanket away. But while he did feel silly, it was usually worth it, just to see Gemini's face light up.

"So, how'd everyone take the news?"

"They seem happy for us. In fact, they're hoping to throw a baby shower after the last curtain, tonight."

"Awwwww! That's so sweet!" she cooed. "I think we have some of the best friends anybody could ask for."

"Well, yeah. Even if they were a little mad at me for having to recast you at the last minute."

"So who'd they get?"

"Peppermint will be coming out of retirement."

Gemini shook her head and gave an amused sigh. "You know, it's funny to think that my husband in drag, is prettier than me. Truth be told , I'm a little jelous."

"Don't be. It takes a lot of heavy make-up to get me looking like that whilst you have the advantage of being naturally beautiful." said Shin, as he ran his fingers through his wife's brilliant red hair. She in turn kissed his cheek and gently hugged him.

"Aw, Shiny, you're just a big old sack of sugar."

She took hold of his hand and led him to the kitchen. It was filled with a warm aroma of almonds, spices and coconut.

"Come on I made us some chicken curry!"

"You made all this? If you'd have waited, I would have made us something to eat. The doctor told you to take it easy, this morning."

"I'm pregnant, not dying from a soap opera disease!" Gemini said, while sitting herself at the table. "Besides, you usually make food in small doses and I'm eating for more than one person now."

"Well, that's true..." Shin sighed. He knew how active and energetic Gemini was. He also knew that she was fully capable of taking care of herself. But he was her husband and the father of her child (or children, if it turned out to be twins). It was not only his job to worry, it was his sworn duty.

"Would you at least let me take care of Larry for you?"

"Are you really that determined to stop me from moving a muscle? Look, giving up dancing for a while is one thing, but I've got to draw the line somewhere!" she said as she pointed her fork, menacingly at him.

"I...I'm sorry. But I'm a samurai. I'm honour bound to protect the ones I love. Even though most of the time, it feels like you're the one protecting me..."

She had to laugh. Not a scornful cackle, but an amused giggle, much like when a small puppy carries it's leash over to you, wagging it's tail with a happy expression on it's face. He was adorable. Her well meaning, overbearing, husband.

Gemini reached across the table and rested her hand on top of Shin's. As she gazed at him, her blue eyes seemed to twinkle with happiness.

"I guess I kind of take you for granted sometimes. Sure, you can take care of Larry. But only when you've eaten! You're gonna need a lot of energy for the show tonight!"

With a smile and a nod, Shin agreed. After giving the traditional Japanese thanks for the food, they ate. After the hearty meal, Shin went to the stable that Sunnyside had built in the back and filled Larry the horse's feed bag with oats. Once Shin was finished bushing the horse and making sure he had water, he took a shower and got ready to pick up his costume.

Shin and Gemini drove to the Little lip theatre. Outside, the posters were being changed, crediting Peppermint taking Gemini's role.

"I reckon there's not many guys out there who'd go to all this trouble. Most guys would have just looked for someone else to fill in, not do it themselves." said Gemini, hiding a snigger in her voice.

"Like I said, it's my duty. My duty as leader of the New York Combat Revue Stars Division, to wear a dress and prance about on stage!" said Shin, a bit _too passionately_ to be taken seriously. In the end, he just couldn't keep a straight face and they both had a fit of laughter.

Gemini took a breath and composed herself. She put her hands on Shinjiro's shoulder.

"I'm so glad I married you." she planted a deep kiss on his lips. "I really love you, Shiny. I don't think I tell you that often enough."

They had one last hug before parting ways. Gemini went to the auditorium to wait for the show to start and Shinjiro went to change into his costume. To prepare for the show, the return of Peppermint, the baby shower and unbeknownst to him, the paparazzi.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Many young men dream of having a lovely lady on each arm. Although few of those young men dream of holding hands with a lovely lady in each hand, whilst dressed as a lady himself.

The audience gave a roaring round of applause as Shinjiro alias Peppermint took a deep bow, hand in hand with Subaru Kujo and Diana Caprice.

All things considered, it was usually satisfying when the final curtain went down after a successful performance. Shinjiro and the rest of the cast made their way to the green room. Shin began setting up the buffet,while the others went to the dressing room to get changed. The big disadvantage of working in a theatre with a mostly female cast that you have to wait a while until the dressing room is free. Ratchet came in, with Gemini in tow.

"Great show tonight, Shin." said Ratchet "It's good to see you haven't lost the knack for playing a girl."

"Thank you. It's just like riding a bike."

Gemini took a seat next to Shinjiro and placed her hand in his.

"Nah, I've see you try to ride a bike, Shiny. You're way better at acting."

"You're not going to let that time I tried to go riding with the Centaurs go, are you, Gemini?"

"Nope! You flew fifty feet through the air! It had to be the funniest thing I ever saw!"

The doors opened and in came the rest of the cast, holding plastic bags of various sizes. Ratchet opened her mouth in preparation to give an opening speech, when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders from behind and Rosita Aries leapfrogged in front of her.

"Gemini! I got you this!" she said, thrusting her bag into Gemini's hands. For the most part, Shin liked to think Rosita was simply expressing her youthful enthusiasm, but deep down he knew that she just wanted to get to the buffet as soon as possible. She was sixteen now, but still had the appetite of a wolf.

Gemini's fingers went into the bag, feeling something soft and furry.

"For your baby, Gemini, I had my Plan-B stuffed, so they'll have something to hug when mama's busy! Now Niccolo can be your baby's Plan-B!"

It is rather difficult to describe the feeling one experiences when one realises that one's fingers have been caressing the carcass of a dead rodent. Diana the animal lover gave a startled yelp and almost fainted.

"Rosita, you didn't...!" Gemini spluttered.

There was "kyuuuuu" noise from under Rosita's sombrero, as if to answer this question. She lifted her hat off to show her white weasel Niccolo sitting on top of her head.

"Of course I didn't, I was kidding!"

Now that the cat was out of the bag, or the weasel out of the hat, as the case may be, sighs of relief sounded all around while Rosita gave a cackle.

"Don't scare us like that!" said Shinjiro.

"Ha, ha! Where's your sense of humour, Shins?"

"Knowing you, you've probably _eaten it_!"

Gemini fished the real gift out of the bag. It did bear a striking resemblance to a more cartoonish looking Niccolo, but was obviously just a plush novelty.

"Aw, it's adorable! Thanks, Rosita!" she said, giving said bounty hunter a hug.

Diana, having recovered from her dizzy spell, stepped forward and passed Shinjiro a box.

"I made this mobile to hang above the baby's crib."

He lifted the lid off the box to see beautifully crafted models of bluebirds and white clouds made of foam card, all connected by white string.

"It's beautiful. Did you made it yourself?"

"Well, yes. I'm quite fond of handy crafts and making diorama. If your child turns out to be a girl, I'd be happy to make a doll house for her."

"Thank you. I'm sure she'd love it."

Cheiron was the next to step forward.

"Shin, I know how much you likes taking pictures, and I figured you'd be taking a lot of them once the baby's born, so I got you this special first memories photo album." She pulled the baby blue leather album out of the bag and passed it to Shinjiro. Then she turned to Gemini and pulled an envelope out of her bag. "I also had a whip round and had the Centaurs sign this card for the two of you. By that I mean I went around Harlem, whipping people until they signed it." she finished with a snigger.

The parents-to-be read the card together. Who would have though that a biker gang could be capable of such touching prose?

Then it was Subaru's turn offer a gift. It was long, thin and nicely gift wrapped. Gemini removed the wrapping paper to see a solid silver birth certificate holder.

"Let me know when you've decided on a name and I will get in engraved for you." said Subaru.

Gemini examined it all over. Solid silver. Half of her was amazed to receive a gift made from a rare metal, but the other half felt guilty about the amount of money her friend must have spent.

"It's gorgeous. But it must have cost an arm and a leg..."

"Think nothing of it." said Subaru, slowly flapping one of her fans under her own chin. "I hold shares in a number of local businesses that are doing quite well at the moment. Newspapers, construction companies... A small token of congratulation like this is hardly likely to bankrupt me."

Cherry and Anri of the N.Y.C.R. Rainbow Division, or, as Sunnyside called them, Miss Sweet and Miss Sour, brought some baby clothes that Anri had designed. Ratchet brought a basket and sheets and Sunnyside gave them, what he claimed, would be the most valuable gift of all- a pair of ear plugs that they could take turns using.

"Very handy for when midnight feeding's are due!"

Historians from over seventy years later would be amazed by Michael Sunnyside- in thirties New York he was a troll before the internet even existed..

None the less, Sunnyside had paid for the buffet's catering, so Gemini and Shinjiro could easily forgive his little prank gift. And even then, he quickly made amends by opening a bottle of champaign and pouring everyone a glass of chilled bubbly (and non-alcoholic bubbly for minors, expectant mothers and Shin).

Sunnyside, ever the showman was quick to raise a toast.

"To the lucky father and mother to be!"

"Cheers!"

"Speech!" Cherry called, "Come on, Gemini! Let's have a speech!"

Gemini stood up and cleared her throat.

"Thank you, everyone. The two of us are real grateful for all these wonderful gifts you've given for our baby. But I think the greatest gift we have, is having such good friends as you. The world my child is going to be born into is a brighter place because of you."

This was met with a big round of applause from all but Anri, who was so touched she had to wipe a tear from her eye.

After a bit of small talk, Shinjiro headed towards the door.

"I'm just going to get changed." he explained. If the father was to be present at the baby shower, he might as well go dressed as himself and not look like some distant aunt.

Once Shinjiro aka Peppermint opened the door, he was face to face to a lean, blonde man with a face like a weasel He held a tape recorder and a note pad and on his face was an expression that said "Oh crap, I'm rumbled."

Their eyes met in a stunned silence.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, Dick Headson, Daily Trumpet." he pulled out a camera and began to adjust the focus "Big fan of yours, Miss Peppermint!"

To say that Shinjiro had a face like thunder wouldn't quite be an accurate statement. His face was more like lightning, as the thunder that followed was his yell of "Paparazzi!"

"Paparazzi?!" Rosita echoed as she shoved past Shin and pulled out her weapons, "Gold Gun, Silver Gun, Bronze Gun or de Platinum Gun! Take your pick, bad guy!" Over the years, Rosita's accent had become more layered as she picked up new words, but what remained of her native Mexican really came out strongly when she was angry. Dick Headson gave a cowardly yell and ran away around the corner as if a grizzly bear was chasing him as Rosita emptied her chambers of two of her guns.

"No!" Ratchet yelled "Stop shooting!"

Rosita was death to Ratchet's protests, as was Cheiron, who ran out of the room after the paparazzi.

"I'll get you, you creep! Come on Rosita! Let's lynch that bastard!"

" _Andale, Andale!_ He is terminated!"

"And off they go." Ratchet sighed "Now I have to plaster that wall again..."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shinjiro had a funny feeling that it was going to be one of those nights when he'd have trouble getting to sleep. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror brushing his teeth, his mind kept returning to his close encounter with the paparazzi. There would be no end of trouble if Peppermint's secret identity was exposed. The fact that the adorable and mysterious Peppermint was really a man was knowledge that many red blooded males in New York would be _a lot_ happier without.

He went into the bedroom, where the air was filled with a melodious, soothing jingle.

Gemini was sitting upright in bed, looking at the small white box on her bedside cabinet.

"Is that the music box Kayama gave you at the baby shower?" Shinjiro asked.

"Yup. I just wanted to see what it sounded like."

She lifted the covers on Shinjiro's side of the bed and he gratefully sat down next to her. They both looked over at the tiny box, listening to the relaxing melody.

"So, what's on your mind, Shiny? You still worried about that snoop?"

It wouldn't have taken Sherlock Holmes to deduce that Shinjiro was worried. Doctor Watson would have done just fine. In fact, Shinjiro had such an expressive face that even Inspector Lastrade could easily work out how he felt.

"Well, yeah. Rosita and Cheiron didn't manage to catch him. I'm not looking forward to reading tomorrow's newspaper."

Gemini scooted closer and snuggled up to her husband.

"Ah, cheer up! It's not like we did anything illegal. All that guy would have found out is that I'm in the family way. Ain't nothing wrong with that!"

"I guess you're right, Gemini. I just don't like the idea of my family being stalked by some creep with a camera."

"That's no problem. All I have to do is lure him in, grab the camera and shove it right up his..."

"What happened to trying to be a lady-like samurai?" Shinjiro said, masking a chuckle.

Gemini pondered for a second.

"Maybe I could get Ratchet to teach me to throw knives. Then I could break his camera and look stylish at the same time!"

"That sounds more like a ninja than a samurai."

"Hey, good idea! We could practice the art of stealth!"

"You'd need a lot of practise, Gemini. You stand out..." said Shinjiro, sliding his arm around Gemini's shoulders. "...in a good way!" he finished by kissing her forehead. For a minute, they just lay there, holding each other and gazing into each others eyes. Shinjiro noticed that Gemini seemed a bit troubled. One of the disadvantages to having eyes as large and bright as Gemini's was that it made her face very easy to read. While one could argue this to be a good thing, that she wore her heart on her sleeve, it also meant that she was a useless poker player.

"So, how are you feeling?" Shinjiro asked "With everything that went on, we didn't get a lot of time to talk today."

Gemini put a gentle hand on her tummy.

"I guess It's taking a while to sink in. I only just found out I was pregnant this morning. I guess I'm just having a little trouble picturing myself as a mom."

"I think I understand how you feel. I'm a little worried about whether or not I can make it as a dad."

"What have you got to be worried about? I remember when Rosita first came to the theatre. I saw how you fed her, taught her to behave in public and worried about her when she was down. Such a caring, dependable guy!"

"I'm glad you think so, but it did take me a while to convince her that when you play catch, you're supposed to _catch_ the ball, rather than shoot it like a clay pigeon."

"Are you sure you're not just being a sore loser about that?" said Gemini in a teasing tone.

"Cheating is cheating. Up until last year, whenever we'd play Scrabble, she used to change her letters with marker pens."

Gemini covered her mouth to withhold her sniggering. Eventually, Shinjiro found himself trying not to laugh along with her.

"Don't worry about how you'll do as a parent, Gemini. You're one of the kindest, sweetest people I know. I think you'll be a great mother."

"Thank you, Shinjiro. Say, I just thought-If I need advice on anything, I can always write to your mom and ask her."

"Oh, that's right! I haven't written to tell her, yet!"

As Shinjiro was about to get out of bed en route to the writing desk, Gemini quickly caught him by the collar of his pyjama shirt.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that tomorrow morning. All ladies need their beauty sleep, after all, Peppermint!"

Shinjiro thought about it. Gemini was right of course and the mail wouldn't be collected until somewhere around midday the following morning. So he agreed that it was indeed time to put the lights out. He hoped it would be this easy to convince their child when it was time for bed. Though, he somehow doubted it.

The next morning, Shinjiro awoke with a stretch. He noticed Gemini was still snoozing, so discreetly made his way to the bathroom to change into his gi, for morning sword practice. He ran through all of his sword kata, showered and began to prepare breakfast. While he was boiling the rice, the newspaper was pushed through the mailbox. He picked it up, placed it on the table and returned to cooking.

Gemini came downstairs in her bath robe having just showered.

"Good morning, Gemini. Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty good. So what did you make for breakfast?"

"A traditional Japanese breakfast of Rice and Miso soup, with a couple of rolled omelettes. I made a big pot full of rice, so you can help yourself to some more, if you get hungry later."

They ate. Gemini eating slowly, as she browsed the newspaper. Shinjiro finished quickly then went to bush and feed Larry.

As he brushed the stallion, he made a mental note of everything he had to do that day. First, cleaning up around the theatre, then manning the box office in case anyone called to book their tickets, then rehearse, and get the stage ready. Then finally perform in the musical as Peppermint before cleaning up the green room. These were going to be two very busy weeks.

Once feeding time was over, Shinjiro returned to the kitchen, to get himself a drink. He could hear Gemini laughing, over his shoulder. Perhaps she was reading the funnies? He sat down at the table with two cups of decaffeinated coffee and pushed one over to Gemini.

"Thanks, Shiny...phf..." Gemini seemed to have trouble keeping a straight face, while making eye contact. It was as if she was trying to stop a loud burst of hysterical laughter from escaping, much like when you cover up the nozzle of a hosepipe to stop the water from squirting out (and you forget that you can just turn the water off at the tap).

"So, what's so funny?"

"Hehe...you..."

Gemini turned the paper over to show him the article she was reading, complete with photograph-

 _ **Peppermint Pregnant**_ _: Reclusive Broadway actress, last night photographed at baby shower. The mysterious Asian beauty was on record stating to guests- "_ _I think the greatest gift we have, is having such good friends. The world my child is going to be born into is a brighter place because of you."_

Thinking back on what they talked about before bed, Shinjiro thought Gemini's first idea was better, after all- To grab Dick Headson's camera and shove it up his...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Several days had passed since the edition of the daily trumpet announcing Peppermint's pregnancy. Hilarious as the thought of your opposite gender alter ego being accused of having a bun in the oven is, it was very difficult for Shinjiro to see the funny side when he had to keep turning reporters away from the Little Lip theatre. Ratchet had told all of the staff to not give statements to journalists,so that she could speak to them in a controlled situation. All the while giving the air of a stick of dynamite. Perfectly harmless, as long as no naked flames are around. But the way she looked at Shinjiro made him feel like a jet flame cigarette lighter

After getting the theatre clean, manning the box office, kicking out the reporters and getting chewed out, Shinjiro sat at the bar for a short break. With all the rehearsing, ushering, cleaning, performing and turning away journalists, he was starting to become fatigued.

"Here, drink this, Tiger." said Cherry, placing a steaming hot cup in front of him, "It's green tea, it'll help you feel better."

"Thanks, Cherry."

He blew a small puff of air in hopes of cooling the tea down, even though it felt like a pointless pursuit.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cherry asked. One always associates barmaids as being the sort of people who can make a person feel better by just listening. To an extent, this is true. It's just that you might have to make an effort to find the bar tenders who are willing to listen to you. Thankfully, Cherry Cocker fit into this category.

"Come on, cheer up, Tiger. These things happen. It wasn't your fault."

"Maybe, but I'm still going to get the blame for it. How could I have been so careless? If Peppermint's secret gets out..."

"Don't worry. We'll all help to protect your reputation."

all of a sudden, they heard running from the front doors of the theatre. Dick Headson leapt onto one of the barstools and whipped out his notepad.

"Excuse me, I believe you were discussing Miss Peppermint? Do you have any information regarding her pregnancy?"

A most magical transformation then took place. Cherry was one of the sweetest, friendliest women you could meet. But the presence of Mr Headson proved that people were like milk- they can turn sour.

"Get lost, creep! This is a private conversation! It's none of your business!"

"But you don't understand! Getting a story on Peppermint that no one else can, could really give my career..."

Then it was time for Shinjiro Taiga: Ace Usher to do what he did best- politely decline people entering the theatre without a valid ticket.

He stood up to his full hight and glared down his nose at the paparazzi, as he was busy telling his life story to these two complete strangers.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But what about freedom of the press?"

What Shinjiro wanted to say was 'Get out of here, or the only thing you'll _press_ is daisies in an upward direction!', but he was in enough trouble with Ratchet already. He had to stay polite, but firm.

"Sir, if you don't leave immediately, we're going to have to call the police." he said, all the while visualising what he wanted to do with Headson. And his camera.

"Okay, but I'll be back." sneered the paparazzi, backing slowly out of the door, as if trying to sneak away from a tiger.

"You handled that well, Shin." came Ratchet's voice. She then emerged from her vantage point on the staircase. "I came to tell you, there's only the one show today, so once it's finished, and you've cleaned the green room, you can go home."

"I see. Thanks, Ratchet."

"By the way..." she said, looking a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry for being so cold towards you. I'm sure you agree, dealing with all these reporters is pretty stressful. You couldn't have known that guy was eavesdropping on the baby shower."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't have yelled like that, as if I had something to hide."

"Well, it's all water under the bridge anyway. Next time we get reporters asking about Peppermint, we'll just tell them the truth; that the baby shower was for Gemini."

Later that day, Gemini sat in front of her typewriter, having trouble writing the next line. Since Shiny had asked her to go on maternity leave, she figured it would help to do something constructive with her time. So she decided to try playwriting again. Her first work _Samurai Girl Of The Wild_ was something of a failure. Maybe the problem was making it semi biographical. The main characters were based on people she knew back in Texas, which made it more difficult to write than it sounded. On the one hand, you don't want to offend your friends, if they figured out who was supposed to be who, but if you sugar-coated things and covered up their flaws, you end up with bland characters. She really wanted to keep the general's obsession with the heroine's butt, but Cheiron warned that his real life counterpart could be entitled to legal action, so it was best to play it safe and cut it. It was a shame, because that was one of the funniest parts.

She decided to take a break. To get a little cup of decaffeinated coffee and a big dollop of inspiration. While the kettle was boiling, she popped into the back garden, where her husband was practising a sword kata. At least, she thought that's what he went out to do.

Shinjiro sat with his legs folded and his practice bokken on the ground next to him. Ah! He must be meditating! Like the famous Sakura Shinguji of the Imperial Theatre Troupe in Japan, making a daily ritual to meditate and clean out her mental cobwebs. Controlled breathing, keeping the samurai warrior's mind and body in the peak of condition. Slowly breathing out and purring like a...purring?

Wait, was he snoring?

It turned out that he had fallen asleep. Poor Shiny. He must have been really be wiped out from all the extra work he'd taken on.

Anyway, it was time for Gemini to do what a dedicated, loving wife should- gently hold his nose.

"Gyaa!" Shin's arms flailed around as Gemini quickly let go of his nose burst into laughter. It took the startled samurai a few seconds to piece together what had happened.

"Gemini! I thought some villains had come to get us in our sleep! What did you do that for? "

"'Cause we've got this nice cosy bed upstairs. There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know."

Shinjiro sighed and stretched out. When he thought about it, there really wasn't any reason not to go upstairs, to that nice, big, warm, cosy double bed, with it's soft mattress, thick blanket, fluffy pillows, clean sheets...

"Shiny, you're starting to drift again."

With a slight jolt, Shinjiro looked up and rubbed his eyes.

"Sorry. I guess I should probably go and rest up while I have the rest of the day off."

As he turned to walk back into the house, Gemini took hold of his hand and looked at him with a look of concerned sympathy.

"Look, Shiny, I think you might have jumped the gun with this maternity leave stuff. I should be okay with going back to work for a while."

"What?! But you can't go on-stage in your condition!"

"I'm not talking about going on stage, I mean going back to cleaning the theatre."

"There's no need for that. I can..."

"Look Shiny, you're doing at least three people's jobs all at once. You're running yourself to the ground. It's starting to take it's toll on you. You're neglecting your health and frankly, that makes me sad."

She sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out a chair for Shinjiro.

"Now, I'm not saying that I'll be working my fingers to the bone or anything. All I want to do is to go back to cleaning for a couple of months before I go on maternity leave for real. I'll give Ratchet a call and ask her if it's okay."

This of course had Shinjiro worried. Especially with reporters prowling around the theatre.

"But what if you slip while mopping the floor? Or one of the cleaning chemicals..."

"What if! Always the what ifs! What if you're walking to work and you get hit by a bus? What if you get attacked by a thief on your way home? What if aliens suddenly come down and drag you up into space?" at this point, Gemini's face was beginning to redden. She took a breath to calm herself down, and reached across the table to take hold of her husband's hand.

"Shiny, I know how strong you are and how brave you are. But you have to be brave enough to accept a little help every now and then. Besides, Diana's a doctor. She can help me if anything bad happens. So come on. Have a little faith in your wife." and she gave that adorable smile of hers. That cheerful smile that usually made him forget about what was troubling him and smile along with her.

"Okay, Gemini, you win. Just promise me you'll take it easy."

"Sure thing."

"And that you'll come and get me if any reporters start hassling you."

"I promise."

"Then, that's all I ask." Satisfied, Shinjiro gave Gemini's hand a gentle squeeze, kissed her on the cheek and stood up, ready to go for his nap.

"By the way, you want to go see a movie later?" Gemini asked "I reckon it'll help get your mind off things at the theatre."

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea! When I wake up, we can see what's playing."

While Shinjiro went to the bedroom for a nap, Gemini called Ratchet and arranged to go back to work the morning after.

Later that night, Gemini and Shinjiro went to see the movie " _It Happened One Night_ ". It was good to go to the cinema together once in a while, like they did when they were courting. It was also good to get out of the house for a while and take a break from feverishly waiting for the mail man in case he brought a letter from Japan. Shinjiro was eager to see what his mother had to say about becoming a grand parent. Gemini and Shinjiro held hands as they walked home from the cinema.

" _Young people in love, are never hungry..._ " Gemini sang.

"If only that were true, we could find Rosita a boyfriend and save a fortune at restaurants."

"Ha-ha! Yeah, maybe if we can find a young Clarke Gable lookalike we can set them up!"

When they got home, they got ready for bed. Gemini observed Shinjiro as he undressed. He realised that she was looking thoughtfully at him.

"Hm? Is something the matter, Gemini?"

"Nah. I was just watching you undress. I wanted to note your undressing routine."

"My routine? Oh, I see! Like in that movie we just saw!"

He changed into his night attire, as Gemini watched. Shoes, then tie, then shirt, then pants, then socks, then finally underware. Fasinating.

Then he got into bed, kissed Gemini goodnight and turned off the lights with ' _young people in love..._ ' playing over and over in his head.

The next morning, the young couple went to the Little Lip theatre. The on stage talent were having a group breakfast in the rooftop garden. Gemini brought the coffee and newspapers while Shinjiro went to help Cherry and Anri carry the food upstairs.

While Cheiron was reading the paper, she briefly scanned the show business page but then did a double take.

She starred at the article. Then gave an amused cackle.

"Gemini! Come look at this!"

Looking up from pouring Subaru's coffee, Gemini looked over at Cheiron. She put the coffee pot down and went over to see what Cheiron was laughing at. Her eyebrows jumped straight up in the air just as Cherry, Anri and Shinjiro came in with the food.

"Oh, here comes our man of the hour now." Cheiron laughed.

"Who, me?" Shinjiro asked "What did I do?"

"I was kind of hoping you could answer that." said Gemini as she handed him the paper, with a face full of amused disbelief. Shinjiro look at the page. Then his jaw dropped open and his eyebrows all but jumped off his face.

"I do trust you, Shiny, but how does a rumour like that even start?" his wife asked him.

 _ **Is Theatre Usher the Father of Peppermint's child?-**_ _An usher at the Little Lip theatre was seen at bar yesterday afternoon lamenting on Peppermint's secret. He was heard bemoaning to the bar staff "I will be the one who is blamed if Peppermint's secret gets out. How could I have been so careless?". The bar maid in turn was heard promising to protect the usher's reputation. When asked to comment, the usher grew surly and evicted this reporter, keen to hide their secret. Is it possible that the usher is in fact the father of the mysterious Peppermint's baby?_

 _ **Article by Dick Headson**_

Shinjiro's grip on the paper tightened. His grip nearly ripped huge holes in the sides of the paper.

"That damn idiot... **I'll kill him!** "


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the days went by, Gemini became increasingly concerned about Shinjiro's state of mind. She got on with her custodial duties in the theatre and although her husband assured her that it was making things easier, she still worried about reporters swarming him with questions. It was the night before the last night of the little lip theatre's current production. Only a few more performances and Shinjiro would be able to hang up Peppermint's costume. Then Ratchet would be able to cast with circumstances in mind and they could close the curtain on all this stress. Then his only worries would be Gemini's well being, how the baby was doing and waiting to see if his mother had written back yet. After a busy morning of selling tickets and turning away reporters, it was time for a break. Gemini went to see Shinjiro at the box office.

"Hey Shiny, want to grab some tea at the bar?"

"I'd like to but I don't see Cherry anywhere" he answered, looking to his left, in the general direction of the Little Lip bar.

" Yeah, she went off to help Anri in the storeroom. She'll be back in a minute."

"In that case, maybe I'll just head to the bathroom, really quick."

"Okay. I'll watch the ticket office until you get back."

So Shiny went off to relieve himself. As Gemini sat at the ticket desk, a lean blonde man with a face like a weasel came into the building.

"Excuse me miss, Dick Headson, Daily Trumpet. I was wondering if you could tell me about Miss Peppermint?"

Headson? That name rang a bell. Oh, yeah. _That_ Headson. Gemini looked around to make sure that the cost was clear then leaned in to whisper in Headson's ear.

"Okay, but I can't tell you here. The usher is on his way back. Follow me. I'll take you somewhere we can talk." She led him along the corridor and stopped at the cleaning closet.

"Here. You can hide out in here. I'll be back in a minute, when It's my break and we can talk about it in here."

"O-oh! Thank you!" said Headson, turning red and looking excited at the prospect of being locked in a closet with an attractive young cleaning lady. He went inside and Gemini locked the door. Now to find Shiny.

She could have beaten up the snoopy paparazzi, but she didn't want to risk a fight, with the little one needing to be kept safe in her tummy. Besides,she did promise to go and tell her husband if any journalists started pestering her. And keeping a promise is very important to a married couple. She found Shinjiro in the lobby, back at the ticket desk. The sweet and sour duo of Cherry and Anri were back at their posts, so it was time for a break. Gemini told Shinjiro about how she locked Headson in the closet.

"That idiot has the tenacity of a cockroach." Shinjiro sighed as he began to roll up his shirt sleeve, "Well, I'd better go and show him the door."

"Oh, I reckon he can wait a while." said Gemini as she linked her arm through his, as if they were about to enter a prom together "Come on, Shiny, let's take a break. He's not going anywhere."

Looking at that contagious smile of Gemini's Shinjiro couldn't help but agree in part.

"Okay. A cup of tea, a little pick-me-up and then I'll throw him out."

Cherry made them a pot of tea, with a couple of muffins and left them to chit-chat.

"And he didn't even recognise me!" Gemini laughed "There were posters of me up on the walls the other week and he didn't even notice!"

"Maybe you've got a bit of a Cinderella thing going. They never catch on to the princess and the cleaner being the same person. Either that or Headson's just as dense at the stepsisters."

"Hey, he's ugly enough, maybe we should ask him to join the pantomime, this year!"

"I don't know. I think that would violate the terms of the restraining order that Cheiron's typing up for him."

They sipped their tea, engaging in pleasant conversation. Sometimes sharing a laugh. And the occasion intimate gesture- a picture of marital bliss. The time went by a bit too quickly and the moment arrived when the break was over and it was time to show that irritating paparazzi the door.

"So, before I go to kick Headson out, do you want to go out for dinner after the snow, tonight?"

"Sure! A little light supper at a restaurant sounds dandy! I'll make the reservation, while you go take care of the reporter!"

So, Shinjiro went on his way. He opened the closet to see Dick Headson, looking excited (what did he think Gemini was going to do when she got back? The dirty minded little...). But the look of excitement faded to a look of doomed horror, akin to a small boy opening a Christmas present, expecting an elusive Hornby train set only to discover that the box he had been so feverishly shaking had actually contained a king cobra who wasn't best pleased at being shaken about. Shinjiro grabbed the quivering paparazzi by the scruff of the neck, dragged him kicking and screaming to the front door and threw him several feet through the air.

"You've been warned about this before, Mr Headson." Shinjiro said as coldly as he could,fighting the urge to pounce on this yellow journalist with a severe beating "You are banned from this theatre, forthwith. Don't ever show your face here again."

He turned on his heel and began to walk back into the theatre.

"Wait! What about my camera?" Headson called. "I dropped it in the closet!"

Shinjiro had spent several years working in the capacity of an usher, thus could tell an excuse to be let back in from a mile away. If Headson was indeed telling the truth, Shinjiro had every intention of returning the camera to it's owner but not in a way that anyone would find very pleasant. While shoving the offending camera where only heavily booted feet dare to roam was tempting, Shinjiro had to take the polite route;

"We'll send your camera along to the Daily Trumpet office, once we've destroyed all the photos you've taken of us. Now go away, before I call the police."

Headson went on his sulky way.

The rest of the day went by without incident. Shinjiro and Gemini went about cleaning the theatre together. It wasn't too far off their domestic chores at home, though the scale of the building and the industrial chemicals used were different to those of a two story house.

The hour of fate slowly approached. Shinjiro changed into Peppermint's dress and wig in the storeroom. While there, he opened up Headson's camera, that he found in the closet, opened it up and held the film up to the light, destroying all the photographs that he had taken. Just a couple more performances and it would all be over. Shinjiro could lay Peppermint to rest. At least until the next time circumstances forced him to dress in drag.

Gemini came to see him before the curtain call, to wish him luck. Not in those exact words of course, otherwise theatre tradition dictates that she go outside, spin around three times, spit, curse and knock to be let back in.

"Break a leg out there, Shiny! It's almost the last night!"

"Thanks, Gemini. By the way, where did you make the reservation, for dinner?"

"Cafe Samba. I figured since we drive through the village on the way home, we might as well drop in. I made the reservation for thirty minutes after the final curtain, so you've got plenty of time to change."

"Thanks. You're so considerate." he said as he took hold of her hand. "So...a little kiss for encouragement?"

"We'd better not, just in case Headson's still lurking around." Gemini giggled "I'd hate to see what tomorrow's paper would say if he caught Peppermint kissing another lady."

She brought up an excellent point. Shinjiro started looking through the racks of costumes, just in case.

"Well, it doesn't look like he snuck back in. All the same, better not to take chances."

"Look on the bright side, Shiny; once this performance is done and dusted, and you're back in your guy clothes, it'll be just the two of us."

That promise was all the encouragement he needed- the promise of dinner and a cosy night at home with his wonderful, pregnant wife.

They parted and Shinjiro headed to the green room for the final briefing.

0o0o0

At long last, the curtain went down after the stars took their bow. At last, it was over. The cast shared their congratulations and went to change out of their costumes. As Shinjiro made his way to the storage room to change he suddenly heard a high pitched yelp that was quickly cut off. That cry came from the storage room. He noticed the door ajar. Carefully peaking in, his blood froze at the sight-

Dick Headson had Anri pinned against the wall with his hand sealed over her mouth.

"Please don't scream!" he hissed "I only came to get my camera back and see if I could catch Peppermint!"

Anri's wide frightened eyes and muffled screams for help thawed out Shinjiro's frozen blood and brought it up to the boil. Without a sound he glided into the storeroom, picked up his speed and when the moment came, roared " _ **Damn you**_!"

Headson turned his head at the battle cry and his nose exploded over Shinjiro's fist. Headson was then punched in the stomach and flipped onto a nearby table, where he was held down and punched repeatedly in the face until he lay an unconscious, bloodied mess. Shinjiro picked the comatose paparazzi up, tossed him over his shoulder and discreetly threw him out of one of the back doors. This time, Headson had gone too far. The sooner Cheiron finished organising that restraining order, the better. His blood no longer boiling, so much as simmering, Shinjiro returned to the storeroom.

"Are you alright, Anri?" he asked as calmly as he could. Anri sniffed and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"I..I think so. Thanks, Shin."

For a minute, Anri looked at Shinjiro with a look of hero worship. Much as a village girl in a fantasy novel gives admiringly at the knight in shining armour after rescuing her from the wolf who had seconds ago made an attempt on her picnic basket. But upon further inspection, she noticed that the shining armour wasn't quite as glistening as it should be.

"Kya! You idiot!"

"What?!"

"You got blood all over Peppermint's dress! Why'd you have to be so violent, you moron!"

Something inside Shinjiro snapped. Likely the lower spine of a metaphorical camel from carrying one straw too many.

"That does it..." he growled. "You know what you can do with Peppermint's dress?"

Before Anri could speak, Shinjiro ripped his dress off and tore it in half as Anri gave a horrified scream. All her hard work in sewing that dress, ruined before her tear stricken eyes. After tearing off the blonde wig, Shinjiro stomped to the other back door, where the large garbage cans stood, burst out and slam dunked the torn, bloodstained dress into the nearest one.  
"Peppermint is dead!" he bellowed.

He slammed the door tight as Anri stood stunned. But as soon as that door was closed, Shinjiro was himself stunned upon realising what he had just done. It was the sort of guilt that envelopes you mere seconds after seeing the consequences of your moment of blind rage.

Ratchet ran up to join them, having herd the yelling and screaming. Anri turned to Ratchet and told her about Shin ripping up the dress, very much in the way a child complains to a parent about a younger sibling's misdeeds. Ratchet was, understandably, from a theatre manager's point of view, pretty angry.

"Why would you do that?!" she yelled "We still need that dress for tomorrow's show!"

After a long lecture, everybody had cooled down and they were able to analyse the situation with a clear head. Peppermint's wig, shoes and chocker were still in tact and it was just the dress that needed replacing. Anri was convinced to sew a new dress for the following performance, with the cost of the materials coming out of Shinjiro's pay cheque. They had the needed materials in the storeroom, so if Anri pulled an all nighter the problem would be solved. Provided Shinjiro treated her to some variety of desserts to make it up to her.

0o0o0

Finally, Shinjiro had changed back into his shirt and tie, met with Gemini and together they went to sup at Cafe Samba.

"Hi! I called earlier to book at table for two. Mr and Mrs Taiga."

"Ah yes. Right this way, Mrs Taiga." said the waiter, leading them to their table. They ordered their drinks and waited for the first course.

"I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that." Shinjiro groaned. "I can't believe I acted so childishly."

He felt similar to an incident a few years back, when he became so outraged at Mr Sunnyside that he actually punched him in the face. He regretted the act, but not the sentiment.

"Hey, cheer up. Tomorrow's the last show. Just make it through that and all your problems are over! Besides, after what you did to Headson, I reckon he won't be showing his face around the theatre anytime soon. You probably scared the living daylights out of him!"

It was quite an amusing thought; Headson being so traumatised by Peppermint beating him up that he wouldn't dare to come near the theatre again.

Their starter arrived and they tucked in. Having light conversation between each mouthful.

"So, Anri wants some desserts tomorrow, huh?" Gemini asked.

"That's right." Shinjiro answered before taking a nibble of garlic bread. "She wants a lemon cheesecake, a ginger muffin and chocolate cream bun."

"We might be able to get a cheesecake to go, from here. As for the muffin, we could bake some tomorrow morning."

"We could? You mean, you and me together?"

"Why not? I like doing stuff together with you!"

A big smile spread across Shinjiro's face.

"You know, I'd like that. We should do more together as a family."

He reached across the table and gently caressed Gemini's hand.

"Whatever gets me down, talking with you always make me feel better. I love you Gemini."

His wife in turn placed her hand in his and smiled with lovestruck joy.

"I love you too, Shinjiro."

Their eyes met, lost in their own little world.

A sudden click drew their attention to Shinjiro's wrist. On his wrist was a metal ring. Connected to the ring was a chain, connecting it to another metal ring. Holding the other metal ring was a large hand. Attached to that hand was the long arm and sullen face of Detective Sault, the grumpiest, least observant policeman in New York.

"Shinjiro Taiga, you're under arrest for suspicion of murder."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Watching as your husband is slapped in handcuffs and dragged out of a restaurant isn't an easy thing to digest. Did Shiny go too far with that reporter and beat him to death?

As Detective Sault shoved Shinjiro out of the restaurant, Gemini called after him.

"I'll find Cheiron and bring her to her office!"

Shinjiro looked back at her in an acknowledging way, to let her know that her message was received and understood.

Gemini paid the bill and went out of the restaurant to the car. Normally she would have mounted Larry, much as a local sheriff chasing desperadoes, or the United States Cavalry, when action was needed and deeds must be done (one for all and all for one!) . But that was before becoming pregnant. The doctor had explained that even if she was too good a rider to make a regular habit of falling off, the mere vibrations of horse riding can do damage to an unborn child. Using her cameratron, she called Cheiron, explained about Shinjiro's arrest and arranged to meet at Cheiron's office. Gemini set off for Harlem.

Cheiron opened the door and invited Gemini inside. They sat down and Gemini explained what had happened.

"You were right to tell him to call me. Obviously, I'll need Shin to call and give me more information, but I'll do whatever I can to help."

"I just can't believe Shiny would do something like that. Even it was that Headson guy..."

"Well, from what you've told me, he had reasonable grounds for suspecting Headson of trying to force himself on Anri. I might be able to get the sentence changed to manslaughter or a justifiable homeside."

Suddenly, the phone rang. Both lawyer and client felt the tension that always comes with the ringing of the telephone. Cheiron lifted the receiver.

"Hello, this is Cheiron Archer, attorney at law. How can I help you?"

" _Hi Cheiron, it's Shinjiro._ "

"Shin! I was waiting for you to call! Gemini told me you were in trouble!"

" _That's right. I'm...being charge with murder._ "

Cheiron took out a pen, sat at her desk and opened a notepad.

"Okay, Shin, start at the beginning. Tell me what happened in as much detail as possible. Now, who are they accusing you of killing?"

" _Well...detective Sault somehow got this idea that...I've killed... Peppermint._ "

"What?"

Shinjiro explained about the beating of the paparazzi, the ripping of the bloodstained dress, the loud declaration that Peppermint was dead and that a witness had heard him yelling and so called the police. Ten minutes later, when Cheiron had finally stopped laughing, she began putting her case together.

"Okay, so the fact that there's no body works in our favour."

" _But what if they search the theatre?_ "

That was an excellent point. While there were no corpses hiding in the closet, at least to Cheiron's knowledge, a set of giant super telekinetic attack robots was almost as high up on the list of things you'd prefer the general public not to see.

"Oh crap, you're right. I guess I'll have to make a few calls and pull some strings. Sunnyside can use his influence to have your trial moved to tomorrow afternoon. I'll see if I can make up a cover story. Just don't say anything to the police until the trial."

After making some notes and asking a few questions, Cheiron hung up and called Mr Sunnyside. She explained what had happened to Shin. Then, when Sunnyside was finished laughing (twenty minutes. A new record.), he agree to do what he could to help. Shin did have one more show to perform as Peppermint, after all. When she hung up, Cheiron turned to Gemini.

"I'm going to be up a while on this case. You should go home and get some rest. I'll call Rosita and see if she'll stay the night with you if you like."

Initially alarmed for the safety of her poor refrigerator, Gemini was about to object, but thought better of it. The times when your husband gets arrested for supposedly killing a woman who doesn't even exist are times you could really use a friend.

"Thanks, Cheiron. I guess I shouldn't really be alone tonight."

"It'll be safer. If that dumbass paparazzi is stalking around your house, Rosita can chase him away."

Upon receiving the call, Rosita came down to Cheiron's office.

"Thanks for this Rosita." said Cheiron, "I'd see Gemini home myself, but I have to work on getting Shin out of jail."

"I can do that!" said Rosita, "All I need is a few sticks of dynamite..."

"That's a felony offence!"

"Booo..."

Gemini, gave Rosita a consoling pat on the back.

"Cheer up, Rosita. Your way may be more fun, but Cheiron's way is safer. Now, come on. I'll fix you a nice juicy steak for supper."

The promise of a big, salty, slice of beef, grilled to perfection had Rosita smiling again, almost instantly. Of course, it would take some considerable will power to hold on until the steak was ready. On the way back to Gemini's house, Rosita made short work of the doggy bag, from Cafe Samba.

Once they got to the house, they noticed a strange figure, near the front door. A figure masked by the shadows, leaving the outline of a coat and hat.

"A Bad Guy! Wait here, Gemini!" said Rosita pulling two of her guns out of their holsters. Seeing which two guns she had pulled was very much a lucky dip. It used to be just two hands and two guns, until Sunnyside had given her a bronze gun and a platinum gun as a Quinceañera present.

"Freeze, turkey!"

The shadowy figure shot it's head around to Rosita's yell. Then it turned and made a fighting stance.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to call people names?"

Gemini pulled the car around, so that the headlights flashed to daze the intruder. With this improved viability, Gemini and Rosita recognised who they were confronting.

"Oh, it's you, is it?" Gemini smiled.

0o0o0o0

Shinjiro didn't get a wink of sleep that night. Partly from anxiety, worrying about how his trial would go and partly from sharing a cell with a heavy set gentleman named Bubba who looked at Shinjiro the way a starving man looks at bacon double cheese burger with four different kinds of cheese, pepper mayonnaise and all the trimmings. The cell door opening and the news that he was to be escorted to the courthouse for his trial was akin to being presented with a gallon of ice cold water after a horrible week of wandering through the desert.

He was led to the defendant lobby, where Cheiron and Gemini were waiting.

"Good to see you, Shin." the former said with a yawn.

"Are you okay, Cheiron? You look a little worn out."

"I was just up late working on your cover story."

Cheiron told Shinjiro the ruse that she had planned. Shinjiro could scarcely believe what she came up with. Rather than devising a clever strategy for the trial, it sounded as though Cheiron had spent the night reading every P. book she could get her hands on.

"I tell them that I just had a quarrel with Peppermint? And all I meant when I said that she was dead, was that I wasn't on speaking terms with her?"

"Of course!" said Cheiron "You see..."

Before Cheiron had time to explain what exactly Shinjiro was supposed to be seeing, a baliff opened to the door to the courtroom.

"The trial is beginning. Please make your way to the defence bench."

The time had come. In many ways, it was a similar feeling to his debut as Peppermint in _Viva Harlem_ all those years ago. The only difference being that if he made a mistake, he could rot in jail for years, rather than simply ending up hopelessly humiliated. But if Shinjiro was exposed as Peppermint humiliation would be the least of his worries.

"Alright, it's show time! Stars on stage!" said Cheiron, cracking her knuckles and preparing for battle. "Let's go, Shin!"

Before Shinjiro went to follow Cheiron, Gemini gave him a hug and kiss.

"Everything will be a-okay, Shinjiro." she said reassuringly, "I guarantee, this time tomorrow you'll be home free and we'll be sitting in the living room, drinking hot chocolate and having a nice, cosy time."

As she left to her seat in the gallery. He watched her go, wishing that he could have even just a fraction of Gemini's optimism.

0o0o0

"Court is now in session for the trial of Shinjiro Taiga." said the judge. "Prosecutor Payne, your opening statement, please."

Prosecutor Royston L. Payne, a thin, smug looking fellow with large square glasses stood up, giving a pompous smile.

"The prosecution proposes that last night, the defendant committed the terrible crime of murder. The victim in this case was the actress Peppermint, of the Little Lip theatre. A witness heard the defendant loudly declare as such. A bloodstained dress belonging to the victim was found in the garbage can, outside on of the theatre's back entrances."

A bailiff placed a clear plastic bag, containing the ripped and bloodied remains of Peppermint's dress on a table.

"The court accepts this evidence as exhibit A. Mr Payne, your witness."

"For my first witness, I call Mr Richard Headson, who saw the defendant proclaiming his crime."

Headson's presence was of no surprise to our heroes. He struck Shinjiro as the sort of journalist whom when unable to find a story, endeavour to make one appear out of thin air, even if he has to defy the laws of nature to do so.

"Please state your name an occupation."

"My name is Dick Headson. I am a reporter and photographer for the Daily Trumpet."

"Mr Headson, please explain to this court, what you witnessed on the night of the crime."

"Yes sir, your honour. Towards the end of the performance at the Little Lip Theatre, I was in the storage room when I heard the usher yelling the words "Damn you". When I turned to see what was happening, I was violently assaulted. When I came round, I found myself in an ally, I turned a corner to find my bearings when I heard a large metal door opening. I hid behind some trash cans and saw the defendant emerge from the door, in his underwear. He slammed something into one of the trash cans and yelled "Peppermint is dead!" Then he went back inside and slammed the door. This reporter bravely went over to the trash can and found to my horror, the bloodstained dress of the late Miss Peppermint. I grabbed the dress and went straight to the police."

To the casual observer it seemed a pretty open and shut case that they might as well get over with so that they can go to the local bar as early as possible. However, to an experienced defence attorney or anyone who has ever read an Agatha Christie novel, Headson's testimony contained more holes than the plot of a cheaply made adventure serial.

"Ms Archer, you may begin your cross examination."

thus, Cheiron stood up and began the procedure of asking questions while pacing back and forth in front of the witness box.

"Now, Mr Headson, may I ask, what were you doing in the storage room?"

"I went there to retrieve my camera, which the usher had confiscated earlier that day. Unfortunately, all the photos I had taken with it were destroyed."

Cheiron pulled a piece of paper from her desk.

"Is it not true, that you were in fact banned from entering the Little Lip theatre, following several cases of harassing the staff?"

Some of the colour faded from Headson's face. He looked like a pre-adolescent who had been caught with hand in the cookie jar by every parent, sister, cousin and aunt in his very large extended family.

"W-well, yes, but...a good reporter cannot let something like that stand in the way of the freedom of the press!"

"So, you admit, Mr Headson, that you were in fact trespassing." Cheiron then pulled a newspaper from her briefcase.

"Is it also true, Mr Headson, that you have a tendency to exaggerate stories, based on the bare minimum of evidence? Such as one incident last week, when you were caught eavesdropping a baby shower the staff and stage talent of the little lip theatre were holding. I have here, a newspaper article that you wrote, claiming that the baby shower was for Ms Peppermint, when in actual fact, it was being held for another actress, Mrs Gemini Taiga."

Headson's mouth fell open into a gaping void of alarm.

"We've had several members of the Little Lip staff confirm it." Cheiron grinned "You have printed a liable article. You later made it worse, when you printed another article accusing the defendant to be the father of Peppermint's child based on a simple off handed remark he made during another conversation that you were eavesdropping. That's enough liable to sue the Daily Trumpet, unless I'm mistaken..."

"Objection!" bellowed Payne in his nasal voice "This line of questioning is irrelevant! Mr Headson is not the one of trial here! I demand to see the relevance!"

"Your honour, members of the court, I am simply illustrating the fact that this witness has an unfortunate tendency to jump to hasty conclusions, before acquiring the correct information. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I put it to you, can you trust such a biased, unreliable witness?"

The jury mumered amongst themselves.

The judge then turned to Cheiron,

"Ms Archer, your witness."

A confident, devious glint appeared in Cheiron's eyes.

"For my first witness, let's hear it straight from the horse's mouth. The defence calls Ms Peppermint to the stand!"

Shinjiro's blood suddenly froze. What was Cheiron doing?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Many comes the time when something happens that it so unbelievably disturbing that you become convinced that you must be dreaming. Shinjiro was sure that it must be a nightmare. For a second he felt reassured- once you become aware that it's a dream, you can control it. All he had to do was concentrate and he could teleport away. Just concentrate and you'll wake up in that big, warm, cosy double bed with it's soft mattress, thick blanket, fluffy pillows and clean sheets.

Alas, he was still in that daunting courtroom. It wasn't a dream. Cheiron really had called Peppermint to the stand. It seemed that he had no choice. He would have to go up to the witness box and admit that he was Peppermint, the evening star of men's desires.

Before he could stand up, he heard footsteps from nearby and noticed that the crowd was starring bewildered at someone walking towards the witness box. That someone was none other than Peppermint.

It was uncanny. She had the right build, the same oriental features. This Peppermint was a perfect replica. Unless the Global Defence Force was performing top secret cloning experiments, Shinjiro couldn't understand how it was possible.

"Please tell us your name and occupation." said Cheiron.

"My name is Petit Mint, though I usually go by my stage name, Peppermint. I am an actress, currently employed with the Little Lip theatre. A pleasure to meet you all!" said Peppermint(?). But upon hearing that familiar voice, Shinjiro had a sudden realisation. He knew who it was, underneath that wig. He couldn't believe that she was here, let alone that she had gone through all this to help him.

"Ms Mint, can you please explain to this court what happened on the night of your supposed murder?"

"Yes, of course. On the night in question, I was heading towards the storage room, when I saw the defendant coming out of the toilet. We went to the storage room together when we saw Mr Headson, holding the theatre's gift shop vendor against the wall, covering her mouth. Naturally, we assumed that he was being a bit too pushy. The defendant started to yell at Mr Headson, but I thought it better to take him by surprise, to ensure the girl's safety. I was able to render the assailant unconscious with a few well placed blows and so the defendant took him outside."

"The defendant was heard yelling, and I quote, _Peppermint is dead_." said Mr Payne, "Are you saying that he made no attempt on your life?"

"Of course he didn't. After he was finished throwing Mr Headson out of the theatre, I told the defendant that it only happened because he left his post to engage in some independent sexual activity in the bathroom. I flung my dress at him and ordered him to have it cleaned, as I got some of Mr Headson's blood on it when I went to help Anri."

Headson's jaw fell open. It was beginning to dawn on him that his act of alerting the police to a murder, like a good citizen should do, actually made him out to be the bad guy.

"After that," Peppermint(?) continued "Mr Taiga got angry and said that I was dead to him. I believe in America this is a harsh way of saying that he wasn't speaking to me anymore."

"You mentioned earlier that Mr Headson's blood got onto your dress." said Cheiron "Would you object to having a quick blood test to verify your statement?"

"That's perfectly fine with me."

So a doctor was summoned and he extracted blood samples from both Peppermint and Headson. While they waited for the results, Cheiron then submitted a document from Little Lip Theatre's staff records, to show that Peppermint's blood was type A.

After a while, the doctor returned and confirmed that the only blood found on Peppermint's torn up dress was type AB.

Headson's face flushed of colour. The only blood on the dress was his own. His journalistic career was going to have quite a bit of trouble getting out of this one.

The jury was sent to discuss the evidence and come to a verdict. Shinjiro leaned over to Cheiron.

"When did she get here?"

"Her ship docked last night, Shin. She really seems to enjoy dropping by just when you've done something embarrassing."

"You've got that right." he sighed with nostalgic reflection "I guess it's just instinct."

Finally the jury came back. The head of the jury then spoke those six sweet words-

"We find the defendant not guilty."

Shinjiro felt relief akin to seeing the light of the outside world after wondering around a dark underground cave for twenty four hours.

Outside the courtroom Cheiron and Shinjiro met the others, who were glad to see him cleared, including "Peppermint". She placed a heavy, patronising hand on top of Shinjiro's head.

"Honestly, Shin-kun, you're so hopeless. I thought I could stop worrying, but here you are, in trouble again."

"Well...yeah." he sighed "But, it is good to see you, mother."

Futaba Taiga rested a hand on Gemini's shoulder.

"Well, after I read your letter, I decided to come by. I have lots to teach you both about becoming parents!"

Gemini's face turned to an unusual expression, about half way between gratitude and foreboding. While she did appreciate all the extremes that her mother in law went to in order to help her and Shiny to be the best of themselves, a part of her hoped that her mother-to-be training would be a little more gentle than the bridal training that she got when she and Shinjiro first got engaged.

The sounds of someone trying to sneak past the group, caught their attention. They saw Headson, in between tip toeing past, trying to avoid eye contact, but failing miserably.

"You again!" Ratchet snapped

Headson gave a yell and started to make a bee line for the nearest exit, when Ratchet whipped out a handful of her throwing knives and shot them through the air, pinning the pathetic paparazzi to the wall.

"Cheiron, Subaru, if you'd care to join me." she said, cooling before walking towards her petrified captive.

"You have been such a trouble maker." she said cooly "I think it's time we put a end to your snooping."

Headson's mouth jumped open and shut in rapid succession. "W-w-w-what are you going to do to me?!"

Ratchet clicked her fingers. Cheiron and Subaru approached the quivering mess that was Dick Headson. As they reached into the inner pockets of their suit jackets, his face resembled a chicken that noticed a hungry looking chef grinning at him. He shut his eyes in terror as the two pulled something out of their pockets. Much to his surprise, there was no gunshot, blow to the head or any other violent injury. He opened his eyes to see the two woman holding pieces of paper in front of his face.

"I have in my hand, a restraining order." said Cheiron "If we ever catch you around the Little Lip theatre again, you'll be spending the rest of your journalistic career in prison. And I'm sure that a bunch of hardened criminals will have a lot to say to a snoopy reporter like you..." she finished with a malicious smirk.

"And as an added precaution," Subaru added "Subaru would like you to see this shares certificate that she acquired last month. It's proof that I happen to own enough stock in the Daily Trumpet to have any of their staff removed or transferred to different departments as I see fit. So provided that you behave yourself and follow my instructions, you needn't be out of a job, just yet..."

"Y-yes! Anything you say, Ms Subaru!" Headson blurted desperately. Ratchet removed her throwing knives and sent Subaru's new whipping boy on his way. Then Ratchet then realised something.

"Wait a minute...you bought that stock _last month_? Subaru! Are you saying that you could have stopped that idiot from harassing Peppermint, anytime you wanted?"

"Of course. I wanted to see how his obsession would pan out. The drama of it appealed to Subaru's artistic sense."

"More like Subaru's been reading too much Jeeves and Wooster." Ratchet sighed.

That night, the curtain fell to a standing ovation. Peppermint gave a graceful bow and waved to the audience. That was it. It was finally over. Making his way to the garden on the rooftop, Shinjiro appreciated his mother's offer to perform on stage in his place, assuming the guise of Peppermint. Unfortunately, this was not to be, as it wasn't possible to teach her both the lines and the dance routine in such a short amount of time. It seemed that the Little Lip Theatre couldn't live without Shinjiro cross-dressing. So Futaba just put on her son's usher uniform and manned the box office instead. A couple of bottles of champagne (both boozy and non alcoholic) were popped open at the closing night party in the rooftop garden. Filling up a plate from the buffet table Shinjiro went to sit with Gemini and his mother. His run as Peppermint was over and he could enjoy good food and the company of two of his favourite people, without worrying about mini-brained papparazi. It was a moment of paradise.

"Enjoy it while you can, Shin-Kun." said his mother, "Because we begin parent-to-be training tomorrow. I've brought all the necessary equipment along!"

The term "equipment" sounded rather ominous to Gemini and Shinjiro, without context. Knowing that this was a woman who had given martial arts lessons to the Japanese armed forces, one somehow got the feeling that her preparations for parenthood would be more than simply a lecture on burping.

"What's the training like, Tabby?" Gemini asked. Futaba was thankfully an open minded woman who didn't mind this nickname, as a term of endearment.

"Well, children usually rip their clothes, so you should both learn how to sew. You should also learn how a delivery works, in case Shinjiro has to deliver the baby in an emergency. Then there are the prenatal exercises..."

It was a week of tough training, but they managed to survive. As Futaba was boarding the ship to take her back to Japan, the parents to be saw her off.

"I'm very proud of you both." she said. "You're bringing a new life into the world. The feeling of becoming a parent is hard to describe. But it's a wonderful thing. You don't just love your child. You fall in love with them." She gave both her son and her daughter in law a hug. She boarded the ship and they waved her off, watching as the ship glided towards the horizon.

Gemini affectionately stroked her pregnant stomach.

"She's right you know, Shiny. It's a feeling that's real tough to describe."

Shinjiro lovingly took hold of Gemini's hand.

"There are some special feelings that are too deep for words. Or maybe they're so special, there's just no need for words."

She looked over at him and interlaced her fingers in his. They went home, holding hands. He was right. Without saying a word, his hand in hers was enough.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _My Dearest Mother,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. Gemini gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Even though her language during the delivery was..._

Shinjiro paused during his writing. He should probably leave Gemini's language during the delivery out of the letter. He wanted to tell his mother about the birth of her first granddaughter, but it was difficult to put into words. He didn't usually get writers block when he wrote letters to his family back in Japan. It was similar to how he felt after his and Gemini's wedding. He was overcome by his own happiness. Succumbing to his inability to focus on the letter, he put his pen down and went to the bedroom. There he was greeted with the heart warming sight of his beautiful daughter, cradled in the arms of his lovely wife...

...who was currently in the middle of breast feeding.

"Oh, I'm sorry." he said as he pulled the door back to him as he backed out of the room.

"Shiny, you've seen me naked dozens of times." said Gemini "I don't mind if you look."

Oh. That's right.

"Sorry. Old habit." he said as he came back into the room. He sat down next to Gemini on the edge of their bed.

Gemini placed baby Dawn in the crib next to the bed. Dawn looked up with the most adorable smile and tired blue eyes, before drifting off to sleep.

"So how's that letter coming along?" Gemini asked, after she covered Dawn with a blanket and sat down next to her husband.

"Slowly. I'm still wrestling with the reality of it all. That our child is finally here. I'm glad you both made it through the delivery safely." he said as he put his arm around her. "I was worried about you, during the delivery, with all the yelling..."

She gave a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, I guess I kinda lost it for a while."

"You did say that I had horse droppings for brains, to say the least..."

Gemini leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're still the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with, Shiny. I love you. And no matter what the future holds, I'm going to cherish every moment."

"I feel the same." Shinjiro said as he looked into Gemini's happy blue eyes, "I just wish I could have done more to help you through it."

"Just having you there in that delivery room, holding my hand was enough help."

She took hold of his hand to look at it.

"So, is it still sore?" she asked.

"A little." said Shinjiro as he opened and closed his hand a few times "I never realised just how strong a grip you have."

"Hey, that was noting compared to what I went through."

"You're right, Gemini. What right do I have to complain? You're the one that went through childbirth."

"Yeah, but it was worth it." she said, looking over at the sleeping baby. "We're got a full on family now."

Shinjiro stood up and looked into the crib. He gently caressed the top of Dawn's head. Gemini stood up and joined him.

"We've got a good looking kid." said Gemini. "I reckon that photo album Cheiron gave us is going to fill up, pretty fast."

"I think you're right. And I think I know how to finish my letter home, now."

0o0o0o0o0

A few days later, in Japan, Futaba Taiga went to her front door to collect the mail. Upon seeing a letter with a United States postmark, she felt a rush of excitement. It was the letter she had been waiting months for. She opened it to see a photograph of Shinjiro, Gemini and a baby with beautiful black hair. They all looked genuinely happy. She read through the letter that accompanied the photograph. She nearly shed a tear of pride upon reading it.

 _My Dearest Mother,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. Gemini gave birth to a beautiful, healthy girl whom we've decided to name Dawn. It's difficult to describe how happy we are, but in America, they say that a picture says a thousand words. So, I hope this photograph explains at least a little bit of the happiness our daughter gives us. Gemini and I look forward to the day you and Dawn meet in person._

 _With love,_

 _Shinjiro._

The End


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